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Limitations Of Reproductive Manipulation By Bacterial Endosymbionts In A Spider Host, Jordyn D. Proctor

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts are common in arthropods. Many of these bacteria manipulate host reproduction to favor the production of infected females, thereby increasing bacterial prevalence in the host population, even if cost is incurred to the host. However, there are also many factors that may inhibit symbionts’ ability to spread in host populations, including environmental constraints, symbiont-imposed costs on the host, interactions with co-infecting bacteria, or host biology. I explored two aspects of symbiont biology within a spider host, Mermessus fradeorum (Linyphiidae), which has varying combinations of up to five different bacterial endosymbionts in local populations: Rickettsiella, Tisiphia …

Impacts Of Livestock Dewormers On Dung Beetle Foraging Choices Across Spatial Scales, Madison L. Kluge

Theses and Dissertations--Entomology

Dung beetles provide ecosystem services in pasture systems but are vulnerable to chemical residues in livestock dung. Parasiticides containing macrocyclic lactones (MLs) are used to control parasites in livestock and are excreted unmetabolized in dung, exposing non-target organisms to these compounds. We used a multi-scale approach to examine whether ML residues alter dung beetle foraging ecology. At the field scale, we assessed dung beetle abundance and community composition using traps baited with dung from untreated cattle and cattle treated with ivermectin, moxidectin, or eprinomectin across eight farms and natural areas. At a smaller scale, we conducted behavioral assays to quantify …

Effectiveness Of A Six-Week Nutrition And Cooking Education Program On Nutrition Knowledge And Cooking Skills In Unhoused Families, Lucy Mehlhaff

Health and Nutritional Sciences Graduate Students Plan B Capstone Projects

Objective: establish a nutrition and cooking education program at a transitional housing facility in Sioux Falls, SD and evaluate its effect on both nutrition knowledge and cooking skills in participants.
Methods: Using the nutrition education curriculum “Families Eating Smart and Moving More” (FESMM), we conducted a 6-week nutrition and cooking education program at the transitional housing facility, Bishop Dudley Center for Families (BDCFF), in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Participants attended didactic sessions led by a master’s student in nutrition and dietetics that encouraged healthy and cost-effective eating, as well as took part in hands on cooking lessons with assistance from …

Liutex - A Fluid Vortex, Oscar Alvarez

Mathematics Dissertations

Fluid vortices are found everywhere in our universe. A vortex can take the form of almost anything - from the classical spiral vortex to chaotic plumes. Defining a vortex physically and mathematically is absolutely necessary if we desire to study vortices and their interactions with each other as well as our physical world. Fluid vortices are incredibly important in the study of turbulent flows. From determining wear, optimizing design for better flow, efficiency, etc., to even predicting the weather on Earth or other planets, having the ability to measure vortices in fluid flow is invaluable. In this study, I investigate …

Blister Packaging Versus Bottles: Caregiver Accuracy And Child Safety In Pediatric Medication Gummy Administration, Paolo Olimpiada

Nursing | Senior Theses

The safety of medication in pediatric settings has become an increasing concern as gummy-formulated medications have gained popularity in children’s care. Gummy-formulated medications have a close resemblance to candy, and this may mislead children to ingest additional doses or more than what was prescribed. Children also depend a lot on their caregivers for medications. Therefore, the design of packaging would be impactful in supporting medication dosing accuracy. And studies have evaluated safety features of packaging related to adherence, misuse, and unintended administration. However, limited studies have examined the influence of medication packaging on the dosing accuracy at the time of …

Turn On The Light Of Life(Tll) Pastoral Theology For Integrated Mental And Spiritual Health In The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church Perspective, Leulekal Akalu Alemu

Doctor of Ministry

This study explores a unified framework for integrating mental health counseling with spiritual guidance within the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church pastoral theology, emphasizing the essential role of clergy in promoting both spiritual and mental well-being. The initiative aims to establish a structured approach that aligns mental health strategies with theological principles, thereby enhancing the connection between mental wellness and spiritual vitality.

Current observations indicate that many clergy members lack adequate training in pastoral counseling, which significantly impedes their ability to effectively address the mental and social issues faced by their communities. This research seeks to empower church leaders by providing …

Re-Imagining Church As A Spiritual Family, Abraham Acosta-Newball

Doctor of Ministry

The contemporary Christian church faces a crisis of belonging; many members are opting out for non-theologically related reasons or differences. The claim for this exodus is a lack of genuine community that serves as an extended spiritual family. Modern churches function as event-centered gatherings, and less like a multigenerational community, reflecting instead a culture of individualism and spiritual consumerism. The purpose of this project is to explore strategies for churches to assume a more biblical role of a spiritual family. Particularly focusing on practical ways for building stronger community within multigenerational and multiethnic Worship settings. The project culminates in three …

An Investigation On Downwind Impacts Of The Keweenaw Peninsula On Lake-Effect Snow Events, Thomas M. Pavell

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Lake-effect snow (LES) produces copious amounts of snow across the Great Lakes region. While mechanisms and impacts are well-understood, they remain difficult to observe and study over Lake Superior and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan due to a large gap in radar coverage and sparse in-situ measurements. The goal of this project aimed to characterize variables present across Lake Superior and counties on and downstream of the Keweenaw Peninsula that contribute to the formation and evolution of lake-effect snowbands. Nine different lake-effect snow events were analyzed in this project, identifying structures and features resulting from upstream passage over the Keweenaw …

Full Issue, Wyoming Law Review Editorial Board

Wyoming Law Review

No abstract provided.

High Expectations? Minnesota’S Cannabis Social Equity Statute Falters, Claire Cavanagh

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

No abstract provided.

Immigrants Vs. Artificial Intelligence: The Human Cost Of Ai In Asylum Decisions, Jems Guirguis

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

No abstract provided.

Refunding The Community: What Defunding Mpd Means And Why It Is Urgent And Realistic, Jli Vol. 39 Editorial Board

Minnesota Journal of Law & Inequality

No abstract provided.

Adaptive Control For A Robotic Bipedal Device Using A Hybrid Discrete-Continuous Reinforcement Learning Strategy, Karla Rincon-Martinez, Wen Yu, Isaac Chairez

Mathematics Faculty Publications

This research develops and implements a novel reinforcement learning (RL) architecture to address the trajectory-tracking problem in bipedal robotic systems under articulated-joint constraints. The proposed RL framework extends previously designed adaptive controllers characterized by state-dependent gain structures. The learning mechanism comprises two hierarchical adaptation layers: the first employs an adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) formulation to approximate the Bellman value function using a class of continuous-time dynamic neural networks. In contrast, the second uses an iterative optimization scheme based on the deep deterministic policy gradient (DDPG) algorithm. The resulting control strategy minimizes a robust performance index defined over the tracking trajectories …

Interrogating The Facts Of The Case, Anna Roberts

Indiana Law Journal

Buried within many criminal judicial opinions is the origin of their “facts”—the interrogation room. Criminal law pedagogy should expose this origin. If we treat the alleged product of interrogation as “what happened,” as criminal cases (and professors) sometimes do, we obscure the ways in which interrogators are trained to incriminate and to co-create confessions. We also risk obscuring subsequent layers of reporting by police, prosecutors, or judges.

Recent scholarly literature urges criminal law professors to teach differently, warning that we distort, sanitize, and bolster the carceral state when we erase governmental agents and bypass procedure. Treating the “facts of the …

Misinformation And The Jury, Gustavo Ribeiro

Indiana Law Journal

This Article bridges critical gaps between the growing body of social science research on misinformation and the persistent challenges jurors face in evaluating potentially unreliable evidence in courtrooms. Misinformation—a pervasive issue undermining decision-making in democratic societies—mirrors the difficulties jurors encounter in distinguishing truth from falsehood amid compelling but unreliable evidence. The consequences of such challenges are dire: wrongful convictions, racial disparities, and the erosion of public trust in the legal system.

This Article is the first piece of legal scholarship to provide a comprehensive discussion of current research on the psychological mechanisms underlying susceptibility to misinformation—such as the illusory truth …

From Vision To Practice: Developing A Field-Informed Framework For Music Education In Catholic Schools, Melita Mudri-Zubacz

Doctor of Education (EdD)

This study aimed to develop a sustainable and mission-focused framework for music  education in Catholic elementary schools, in order to bridge the gap between the theological ideals of Catholic education and the lack of operational models for its implementation. The problem had significant implications for school leaders, music teachers, and students, as it restricted the potential of the school’s music programs to support the development of Catholic identity and liturgical participation.

The purpose of this study was to develop a field-informed and consensus-driven framework based on Catholic identity, sustainability, and expertise. The conceptual framework for this study integrated theological and …

The Fatality Of Rights-Based Argumentation: Conservative Co-Optation, Liberal Fragmentation, And The Battle For The Narrative, Yesha Shah

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

Rights-based liberal argumentation has become increasingly vulnerable to conservative co-optation. Because rights language is often indeterminate and easily reinterpreted, conservatives can appropriate liberal rhetoric, recast it in service of contrary ends, and redirect attention away from substantive policy consequences. This Article examines that dynamic through case studies on abortion, criminal justice reform, and affirmative action, and argues that liberals should rely more heavily on cost-benefit analysis as a complementary framework for political messaging. More concrete and empirically grounded than abstract rights rhetoric, cost-benefit analysis may be less susceptible to rhetorical hijacking while still supporting progressive policy outcomes.

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University of the District of Columbia Law Review

No abstract provided.

Rooted In Family Unity: Advocating For U.S. Citizen Children As Qualifying Relatives, Kevin J. Henriquez

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

This paper advocates for expanding the scope of unlawful presence waivers under § 212(a)(9)(B)(v) of the Immigration and Nationality Act (“INA”) to include U.S. citizen offspring as “qualifying relatives.” Under current law, the waiver only recognizes hardship to U.S. citizens or lawful permanent resident spouses or parents, excluding offsprings entirely despite their central role in family life. This exclusion undermines decades of immigration policy prioritizing family unity and creates devastating consequences for mixed-status families, particularly where U.S. citizens, minors, or adults depend on undocumented parents for financial, emotional, or medical support. This paper traces the statutory and legislative history of …

Rights Without Remedies: How Trump V. Casa Undermines Universal Injunctions And Uniform Constitutional Enforcement, Savannah Cobbs

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

Trump v. CASA, Inc. significantly reduced the remedial authority of the federal judiciary by rejecting the power of federal district courts to issue universal injunctions, a tool long used to halt widespread constitutional violations. Framed as a procedural decision about equitable remedies, the ruling severely narrows the scope of relief available in challenges to executive action. This Comment examines how the Court’s decision limits lower courts’ capacity to provide meaningful remedies and reshapes the balance of power among the branches of government. The analysis argues that the majority misapplies case law like Grupo Mexicano by imposing an unduly rigid historical …

Criminalizing The Platform: Fosta-Sesta, Internet Governance, And The Erosion Of Online Speech, Fenny Gandhi

University of the District of Columbia Law Review

For decades, sex work operated in the shadows—negotiated in alleyways, mediated by third parties, and shaped by constant risk. Today, much of it happens online, where a screen can mean the difference between autonomy and danger. But, when the law pushes an industry underground, it does not eliminate it; rather, it reshapes how it operates, often in ways that increase vulnerability and reduce accountability. Sex work is the exchange of specific sexual services for money. The experiences of people who engage in sex work are diverse and influenced by social structures and economic realities. The internet provides consensual sex workers …

Navigating Racist Spaces Through Radical Self-Care: A Photovoice Exploration Of The Experiences Of Black Graduate Students, Laetitia Adelson, Cherese Fine, Dion Harry, Keneisha Harrington, Rebecca Lynn Morgan Ph.D., Tomiko Smalls, Jerad Green, Courtney Allen, Anuoluwapo Bankole, Robin Phelps-Ward

Faculty Publications

This manuscript examines the impact of racist campus climates for Black graduate students at a predominantly white institution. Using a photovoice methodological design, this study illuminates students’ ability to thrive through radical self-care despite the many racist factors, incidents, and systems at the institution. The paper ends with recommendations for improving campus racial climate in graduate education.

Beyond Hipaa: The Ftc’S Expanding Role In Digital Health Privacy Enforcement, Sandhya Srinivasa

SMU Science and Technology Law Review

Consumer digital health platforms have become an increasingly prominent feature of modern health care, collecting and storing sensitive health information directly from users. Yet most of these applications operate outside the scope of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), creating a significant regulatory gap in the protection of personal health data. This case note examines how the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has stepped into that gap by leveraging Section 5 of the FTC Act and the Health Breach Notification Rule (HBNR) to police privacy and data security practices among non-HIPAA-covered digital health platforms. Focusing on three landmark enforcement …

Touchdown: Upholding Precedent For Proper Venue In United States V. Lozoya, Mikayla Gross

Nebraska Law Review

“The friendly skies are not always so friendly.” This Note supports the Ninth Circuit’s en banc opinion in United States v. Lozoya, which determined that the landing district is the proper venue for prosecuting in-flight crime. The Ninth Circuit’s en banc ruling overturned the requirement to prosecute in-flight crimes in flyover districts, which created practical and evidentiary burdens for the prosecution and defense. The establishment of the landing district as the proper venue for in-flight crime prosecution promotes practical adjudication, justice for victims, constitutionally sound trials for defendants, uniformity for inflight prosecution, and encompasses Congress’s intent when enacting 18 U.S.C. …

Principle Over Pedigree: United States V. Rahimi, Post-Ratification History, And The Case For Justice Barrett’S Approach, Joel Myers

Nebraska Law Review

Four years ago, the Supreme Court revolutionized Second Amendment law in New York Rifle & Pistol Ass’n, Inc. v. Bruen by instituting a test concentrated on text, history, and tradition. To uphold a firearm regulation, the government must demonstrate a relevantly similar historical analogue. Shortly after, the Court affirmed but clarified its position in United States v. Rahimi by performing the Bruen analysis at a higher level of generality and rejecting a challenge to 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(8). The Court’s evolving Second Amendment jurisprudence offers fertile ground for the Court’s originalists to elucidate their perception of constitutional interpretation. In Rahimi, Justice …

Should More Teams "Trust The Process" Of Tanking?, Eduardo G. Minuci, Alexander Cardazzi, Candon Johnson

Economics Faculty Publications

In many professional sport leagues, the worst-performing teams receive higher probability of earning top draft picks. This provides teams incentives to purposefully lose, or "tank," if they are not likely to contend for the playoffs or championships. We evaluate the effectiveness of tanking to improve team outcomes by examining the most explicit tanking case in the NBA: the "Trust the Process" Philadelphia 76ers. Using synthetic control, we demonstrate that tanking caused the 76ers to be more successful in terms of winning and operating income. However, only operating income had a plausibly positive present value when calculating discounted present values.

But Who Are The Victims? Reassessing The 568 Higher Education Cartel, James V. Koch

Economics Faculty Publications

Thirty prestigious independent American institutions of higher education were at some time members of the 568 higher education group (often labeled a cartel). Seventeen of them were sued by the U.S. Government and representative students who alleged that their meetings and deliberations resulted in collusion that caused students to pay higher prices. Twelve of the seventeen institutions subsequently settled their cases and by 2024 collectively had paid $284 million to do so. However, an inspection of these institutions' pricing reveals that the median 568 Group institution lowered its average real net annual cost to its undergraduate students by 19.07% between …

The Environmental Justice Implications Of Industry Consolidation: Evidence From U.S. Landfills, Hui Zhou, Shan Zhang, Matthew D. Gordon

Economics Faculty Publications

Over the past three decades, the number of U.S. landfills has fallen by 41%, while average capacity has risen by 130%. This paper studies the distributional consequences of this consolidation. We show these changes coincide with waste disposal shifting toward locations with lower population density and higher shares of low-income, Black, and Hispanic residents. Event studies of landfill openings rule out large effects on migration, though new landfills are sited in places with fast-changing demographics. Using a novel measure of regulation built from large-language-model classifications of state statutes, we show evidence that increased state regulations may contribute to increasing disparities.

Restorative Justice Behind Bars: Evidence Supporting A Post-Adjudication Brief Intervention, Dennis E. Mcchargue Ph.D., Ashley Votruba, Casey N. Tisdale, Sarah M. Noone

Nebraska Law Review

This Article details a post-adjudication restorative justice intervention implemented in Nebraska during the 1990s. This Article summarizes research findings from samples of individuals in prison and on probation, demonstrating meaningful reductions in recidivism and harm. This brief restorative justice intervention is low-cost, group-based, and uses surrogate victim impact statements as opposed to victim-offender mediation. This intervention offers a realistic template for statutory and policy reform in jurisdictions that cannot implement more resource-intensive restorative models.

The Trump Administration’S Racial Dragnet: Immigration Enforcement In Los Angeles, Kevin R. Johnson

SMU Law Review

President Trump’s mass deportation campaign selected as one of its early targets Los Angeles, California, and its large Latina/o community. Comprising roughly half of the city’s population, Latina/os are being stopped, questioned, and rounded up by roving Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) patrols. A legal challenge claimed that the patrols are engaging in unlawful racial profiling on a mass scale. The litigation responds to the widespread belief among Latina/os that the Trump Administration is unduly, if not exclusively, relying on race in targeting people for questioning about their immigration status.

For years, courts and political leaders have roundly condemned racial …